LFA bantamweight Kasey Tanner has turned past setbacks into fuel and now stands on the brink of a breakthrough. Riding a potential three-fight winning streak, he looks to punch his ticket to the UFC with a win over Michael Cyr at LFA 220 on Saturday night.
Tanner (8-1) got a shot at a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, but fell short in a tough fight with Jean Matsumoto. While Tanner persevered and still delivered a gritty performance, he revealed that there was more going on behind the scenes than fans realized. The fight, he explained, was compromised before he ever stepped into the cage.
“I haven’t talked about it much, but I really wasn’t feeling good during that fight. I had a tough weight cut and then messed up my fueling process. I was really having stomach issues and certain things like that,” Tanner told Cageside Press.
“It kind of limited me in that fight to where I couldn’t wrestle a lot and use my game plan. My body just wasn’t functioning the way I needed it to. Still, it was a good fight, a tough fight, and you get a lot out of that, just getting into those wars.”
The Fight Ready standout returned from a brief hiatus and scored back-to-back victories over Thiago Belo and Micaias Ureña heading into this main event against Cyr at LFA 220.
“I love the matchup. Guy with the same record as mine, 8-1, but I’m just excited to show the levels here. I think there’s levels to the game. I want to come in and make a statement. I’m not here to play. I’m here to take him out,” Tanner said.
A win in the main event moves Tanner to 9-1, three wins in a row and the spotlight on Saturday night. Tanner hopes to turn that into a call from UFC brass for a call-up for the big show.
“I always call for a UFC shot. I want that more than anything, I’m hungry for it and I’ve been putting in the time for years beating up UFC guys in the gym,” he said.
“I’m the last guy who hasn’t gotten his chance yet, so I want that more than anything, more than ever.”
And if the UFC doesn’t come immediately, Tanner has no problem taking the next best path to get there. For him it’s simple. Keep fighting the top guys and force the door open.
“If not, give me that LFA title and I’ll take it against Mitch McKee or whoever wants to scrap it. Let’s go for it,” he said.
Watch the entire interview with Kasey Tanner above. He headlines LFA 220 against Michael Cyr on Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona.
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